According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), this marks the first time Ukrainian authorities have exposed a Hungarian military intelligence network conducting activities harmful to Ukraine.
Delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe gathered in Lviv as EU officials prepare to approve both new defense aid and steps toward establishing a tribunal for Russian leadership.
The ruling marks a significant victory for RFE/RL amid growing concerns about U.S. funding cuts to independent media countering Russian disinformation.
U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced on May 8 to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Vatican News.
George Simion, leader of Romania's far-right AUR party, who won the first round of the presidential election with nearly 40% of the vote, reiterated that if elected, he would oppose any further assistance to Ukraine and shift Romania’s focus inward.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed their countries' relationship on May 8, vowing to increase cooperation in all areas, including military ties.
"There is Turkey, which maintains channels of communication. And then, above all, there is the People's Republic of China, which, more than anyone else, has the means to make (Russian President Vladimir) Putin come to the negotiating table and soften his demands," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on May 8.
The United States will be ready to "walk away" from the negotiating table if it does not see Russia making progress in negotiation to end the war, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on May 8.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Moscow on May 9 to celebrate Victory Day, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
US President Donald Trump on May 8 called for a "30-day unconditional ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia. Writing on Truth Social, Trump expressed his hope for "an acceptable ceasefire," with both countries "held accountable for respecting the sanctity of... direct negotiations."
President Volodymyr Zelensky had a "constructive" phone call with United States President Donald Trump on May 8, discussing the war, continued pressure on Russia, and a potential ceasefire.
The survey, conducted between April 24 and May 4, shows that 56.9% of respondents would not be willing to compromise on either territorial integrity or Ukraine’s pro-Western direction in any potential talks with Moscow.
Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo is addressing the press at the European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 15, 2023. (Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Russian propaganda network recently uncovered by Czech intelligence paid European and Belgian lawmakers to spread pro-Kremlin disinformation, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said in Brussels on March 28.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on March 27 that pro-Kremlin Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk and pro-Kremlin propagandist Artem Marchevskyi had been sanctioned for attempting to spread pro-Russian disinformation through a website called Voice of Europe.
The Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW) then announced that it had carried out searches and was interrogating suspects in connection to the network.
The ABW said the operation was connected to a previous investigation that found a Polish citizen, who was a member of the Polish and European parliaments, was suspected of working for the Russian secret services to spread disinformation in Europe.
De Croo did not name the MEPs but said that Czech and Belgian intelligence indicates that "Russia has approached MEPs" and paid them "to promote Russian propaganda here."
De Croo said this also happened "in our country, in the highest levels of our democratic institutions."
"Russia wants to destroy our democracy," de Croo said, condemning those who have become "an ally of Russia" and "an ally of a country that wants to destroy everything that has been built up here."
Belgian media reported that two Belgian MPs, Filip Dewinter and Filip Brusselmans, gave an interview with Voice of Europe in September 2023. Both represent Vlaams Belang, a right-wing populist party.
European Parliament deputy spokesperson Delphine Colard told Politico that the Parliament is "looking into the findings."
Earlier in March, Latvia's State Security Service (VDD) began investigating Tatjana Zdanoka, a Latvian member of the European Parliament accused of spying for Russia.
A collaborative media investigation published by The Insider in January alleged that Zdanoka, who represented Latvia in the European Parliament from 2004-2018 and again from 2019 until the present, has been a Russian asset since at least 2015.
While a sitting member of the European Parliament, Zdanoka participated as an international observer in a sham referendum on Crimea's annexation by Russia in 2014.
She also was one of a small group of lawmakers who voted against the European Parliament's condemnation of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in March 2022.
Kateryna Hodunova
